THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE-' 

WRITTEN  BY 

LAURETTE  TAYLOR 

A  DIARY  WITH  PORTRAITS 
OF  THE  PATRIOTIC  ALL-STAR 
TOUR    OF    "OUT    THERE" 


UC-NRLF 


B   M   SflE   flfl? 


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LIBRARY 

university  of 
\j:alifornia 


^'THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE 

BY 

LAURETTE  TAYLOR 


LAURETTK   TAYLOR 


"THE  GREATEST  OF 
THESE " 

WRITTEN  BY 

LAURETTE  TAYLOR 


A  DIARY  WITH  PORTRAITS 
OF  THE  PATRIOTIC  ALL-STAR 
TOUR  OF  "OUT  THERE" 


NEW  Xar  YORK 
GEORGE  H.  DORAN  COMPANY 


Copyright,  1918, 
By  George  H.  Doran  Companif 


Printed  'n  the  United  States  of  America 


DEDICATED  TO 

J.  HARTLEY  MANNERS 

AND  ALL  OTHER  FINE  WRITERS 

WITH  APOLOGIES  FOR  STEPPING  HEAVILY  INTO 

THEIR  COUNTRY  THAT  THEY  HAVE 

MADE  SO  BEAUTIFUL 


498 


You  MUST  EEAD    THIS  AS  IT  IS  NECESSARY  TO 
THE  plot!      L.  T, 

This  is  the  history  of  "Three  Weeks" — and  that 
sentence  was  written  to  attract  your  attention.  I 
have  it?    Then,  imprimis:  .  .  . 

This  is  the  diary  of  a  journey  of  mercy.  Just  as 
everybody  can  write  one  book  on  the  war,  through 
the  inspiration  of  what  he  has  seen,  so  I  try  this 
through  the  stimulus  of  what  I  have  felt.  And — 
because  the  second  book  of  the  suddenly-talented 
warrior  sometimes  proves  that  the  muse  gave  him 
true  voice  only  once,  before  the  cities  and  easy  liv- 
ing struck  him  dumb — I  shall  cheat  the  muse  by 
writing  only  one!  So  whether  you  run  as  you  read 
or  read  and  then  run,  forgive  me. 

Originally  a  group  of  us  felt  the  need  of  as- 
sisting and  arousing  our  country.  Various  schemes 
were  discussed,  and  then  Mr.  Tyler  (who  loves  to 
overcome  the  impossible)  wished  twenty-one  light- 
less  nights  on  the  heavens,  interviewed  the  constel- 
lations, and  formed  a  band  of  sixteen  stars  to  make 
giant  collections  throughout  the  country:  Mrs. 
Fiske,  Julia  Arthur,  Helen  Ware,  Laurette  Tay- 
lor (3rd  person).  Beryl  Mercer,  George  Cohan, 
George  Arliss,  James  K.  Hackett,  H.  B.  Warner, 
James  T.  Powers,  Chauncey  Olcott,  George  Mac- 

vii 


^"  You  Must  Read  This  As  It 

Farlane,  O.  P.  Heggie,  Madame  Eleanora  de  Cis- 

neros,  Burr  Mcintosh  and  De  Wolf  Hopper. 

J.  Hartley  JNIanners  having  written  an  inspired 
play  of  the  war  called  "OUT  THERE,"  a  play 
well  suited  to  such  a  tour  because  of  his  drawing  of 
the  soul  of  a  character — a  soul  that,  like  Mary's, 
was  born  to  comfort,  a  soul  sent  here  rather  to  as- 
suage a  nation's  hurts  than  to  add  to  its  gaiety,  a 
soul  whose  great  gift  of  bringing  peace  could  find 
its  full  expression  only  when  bodies  were  being 
put  through  an  agony  of  suffering — this  play, 
glorifying  the  Red  Cross  Nurse,  was  chosen,  and 
through  three  weeks  of  one-night  stands  we  trav- 
elled. 

Before  we  reached  each  town,  auction  sales  had 
been  held,  and  single  seats  were  sold  for  $200,  $300, 
and  $500,  and  boxes  for  $2,000  and  $3,000. 

The  company  played  "OUT  THERE"  rever- 
ently and  conscientiously.  The  audiences  rose  in 
their  full  emotional  force  to  the  players  and  to  the 
cause.  We  had  a  tour  of  small  discomforts,  many 
humorous  happenings  and  great  financial  returns, 
to  be  exact,  $683,142.15  being  collected  for  the  Red 
Cross,  and  came  back  better  men  and  women,  hav- 
ing realised  that  although  America  may  be  a  coun- 
try of  mixed  nationalities  the  mixture  has  not  di- 
luted its  patriotism.  There  is  always  a  tear  and  a 
thrill  when  Frenchmen  shout  "Vive  la  France,"  and 
in  the  stiff*,  stand-at-attention-nothing-else-matters 
attitude  of  the  English  when  their  national  anthem 
is  played — for  the  first  time  my  countrymen  gave 


Is  Necessary  to  the  Plot  *^ 

it  me.  Night  after  night  they  shouted  at  the  sight 
of  their  flag  and  at  the  sound  of  their  song. 

It's  too  bad  we've  stopped! 

Once  more  a  feehng  of  helplessness  comes  over 
one  at  having  to  go  about  only  personal  tasks. 
They  don't  seem  to  matter. 

Good-bye,  fellow  players — fellow  Americans !  I 
leave  the  reader  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  what  a  kindly, 
childish  people  you  are ;  to  hold  an  affection  for  fel- 
low countrymen  who  poured  their  money  into  the 
Red  Cross  coffers ;  to  get  a  new  angle  on  the  hotel 
proprietors  who,  in  the  towns  I  mention,  were  not  to 
be  outdone  in  patriotism,  and  made  things  so  easy 
for  us ;  to  read  the  story  of  three  weeks  of  intense 
living  when  every  day  was  crowded  with  incident, 
every  hour  one  pulsated  as  part  of  one's  own  coun- 
try, and  every  minute  one  felt  the  brotherhood  of 
man  and  the  sisterhood  of  woman  wrapping  one 
like  a  cloak  because  we  all  met  for  a  common  cause 
— love  of  country. 


TIIK    KKADIXC    OK    THE    PLAY 


"OUT  THERE" 

A  Dramatic  Composition 

BY 

J.  HARTLEY  MANNERS 

THE  CAST 

PART  ONE:  INSPIRATION 

^A  ROOM  IN  A  LODGING  HOUSE  DURING  THE  AUTUMN, 
OF  1915 


«» 


aunted'*  Annie Miss  Laurette  Taylor 

"Princess"  Lizzie Miss  Helen  Ware 

"Old  Velvet" Miss  Beryl  Mercer 

'erb Mr.  H.  B.  Warner 

Monte Mr.  James  T.  Powers 

Dr.  Hanwell      .......      Mr.  George  Arliss 

A  few  words  from  Mr.  Burr  Mcintosh 

PART  TWO:  DEVOTION 
THE  "ORANGE  WALK" 

The  Surgeon Mr.  George  Arliss 

The  Irishman Mr.  Chauncey  Olcott 

The  Cockney Mr.  O.  P.  Heggie 

The  Canadian Mr  James  K.  Hackett 

The  Scotchman       .     .     .      Mr.  George  MacFarlane 

The  American Mr.  George  M.  Cohan 

Gabrielle Miss  Julia  Arthur 

The  Help Miss  Laurette  Taylor 

xi 


xii  THE  CAST 

PART  THREE:  REVELATION 
DIVISION  1— MRS.  HUDD'S  ROOMS 

Mrs.  Hudd Miss  Beryi.  Mercer 

Miss  Elizabeth  Hudd  ....      Miss  Helen  Ware 

Herbert  Hudd Mr.  H.  B.  Warner 

Mr.  Montague  Marsh      .     .      Mr.  James  T.  Powers 

DIMSION  2— A  PUBLIC  PLACE 

The  Nurse Miss  Laurette  Taylor 

Mrs.  Minnie  Maddern  Fishe 

will  deliver  a  Red  Cross  Appeal  written  expressly  for  these  gala 

performances  and  folloiving  this 

Mme.  Eleanora  de  Cisneros 

will  sing 


PORTRAITS 

Laurette  Taylor Frontispiece 

PAGE 

The  Reading  of  the  Play xi 

Hartley  Manners 17 

George  Arliss 18 

George  M.  Cohan 22 

Helen  Ware 24 

Chauncey  Olcott 26 

Mrs.  Fiske 30 

De  Wolf  Hopper 32 

Julia  Arthur 34 

H.  B.  Warner 38 

Georc^.  MacFarlane 40 

Beryl     Iercer 42 

James  J      Hackett 42 

James  '     "Powers 48 

Eleano       Oe  Tisneros 50 

O.  P.  Hi      TE 54 

Burr  McIk  -              S^ 

A  Red  Cr^^       ./urse 58 


XIU 


"THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE- 


HAUTLPn-    MANNERS 


'THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE" 

Monday,  May  13, 1918.    9 :15  am. 

Left  the  Pennsylvania  Station,  New  York,  at 
9:15  a.m. 

We  all  have  cute,  little,  uncomfortable  rooms, 
so  we  have  to  look  each  other  in  the  face  only  when 
impulse  moves  us.  For  the  married  ones  there  is 
no  escape.  You  sit  opposite  each  other  and  gaze 
and  gaze  until  the  sight  becomes  blurred  with  the 
eternal  nearness  of  "the  beloved  face."  However, 
I  drew  a  nice  one,  and  I  like  to  look! 

Had  lunch  with  Mr.  Toohey,  our  press-agent, 
whose  business  it  is  to  coax  some  sacred  anecdote 
from  you  to  be  blazoned  forth  as  a  reason  why  "you 
are  you."  I  unfolded  to  his  listening  ears  long 
tales  of  anything,  hoping  he  wouldn't  have  time  to 
interview  the  other  stars! 

It's  my  first  experience  in  an  All-Star  cast. 
They're  the  funniest  lot!  They  say  "Good  morn- 
ing" an'  everything!  It's  quite  a  pleasant  thing 
to  find  an  "all-star,"  who  plays  only  "all-stars" 
(Disraeli,  Paganini,  Hamilton,  etc.)  ask  you, 
"Why  does  a  chicken  cross  the  road?"  Of  course, 
it  wasn't  really  about  a  chicken.  It  concerned 
cheese,  was  just  as  funny  and  not  so  old.     The 

17 


18  "  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  " 

only  unreasonable  request  was  George  Cohan's  ask- 
ing for  a  red-white-and-blue  spotlight.  But  I  have 
an  idea  he  was  spoofing  Mr.  Tyler.  Mr.  Tyler,  our 
Manager,  is  the  man  who  has  to  look  pleasant,  and 
with  exactly  the  same  degree  of  pleasantness  for 
each  star.  There  is  a  shade  of  diflference  for  the 
"staresses,"  but  that's  out  of  deference  to  our  spring 
hats. 

We  arrive  in  Washington  presently  and  I'll 
wager  the  Fifteen  stars  won't  have  the  people  at 
the  station  that  Mary  Pickford  or  Charlie  Chaplin 
had !  Yet  one  of  us  might  have  worn  yellow  curls. 
And  there  really  exists  in  the  company  an  awfully 
funny  pair  of  shoes. 

Basta! 


GEORGE    ARLISS 


Washington,  May  14.  1918.  12:30  a.m. 
We  opened  to-night  to  $17,146 — the  capacity- 
house  brought  $6,824,  the  auction  had  brought  pre- 
miums amounting  to  $9,322,  and  Nora  Bayes 
paid  $1,000  for  the  autographed  programme. 
MiUionaires  sat  in  the  house,  and  a  hard-working 
actress  paid  a  thousand  dollars  for  the  President's 
signature — she  could  have  had  all  the  others  for  the 
asking!  I  think  that  explains  our  place  in  the 
scheme  of  things.  We  were  meant  to  illustrate 
that  part  of  the  Bible  which  says  "It  is  more  blessed 
to  give  than  to  receive."  We  of  the  stage  give 
always — of  our  money,  our  talents,  our  intellect. 
Thank  goodness,  America  is  starting  to  employ  the 
stage,  in  time  of  trouble,  as  she  does  the  mechanics, 
the  writers,  the  financiers.  In  England  the  theatre 
has  a  dignity  it  lacks  here,  because  always  in  Eng- 
land the  actors  are  made  to  feel  that  they  are  a 
necessary  part  of  their  country.  When  money  is 
needed  they  band  together  unselfishly  and  get  it. 
Every  year  all-star  benefits  are  given  under  the 
patronage  of  the  King  for  the  Royal  General 
Theatrical  Fund.  In  England  the  actor  has  a 
social  position  not  solely  on  account  of  his  acting 
ability,  but  because  he  is  a  necessary  force  outside 
the  theatre.  Sir  Henry  Irving  accepted  a  knight- 
hood not  for  personal  glorification  but  to  add  a  new 

19 


so  "  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  " 

dignity  to  his  beloved  profession.  For  the  same 
reason  it  is  a  great  joy  to  realise  that  we  are  en- 
rolled under  the  Red  Cross  banner.  And  to  play 
before  the  President  as  a  part  of  his  effort  to  carry 
this  war  to  a  successful  finish,  makes  us  all  feel  nec- 
essary and,  therefore,  naturally,  happy. 
Vive  le  President! 

Hints  on  how  to  become  President. 
The  President  was  invited  for  eight  o'clock.     He 
arrived  at  eight  o'clock.^ 


Baltimore,  May  15, 1918,     12:30  a.m. 

Baltimore  must  be  ninety  per  cent.  American 
— it  is  absolutely  one  hundred  per  cent,  for  the  Red 
Cross ! 

Our  receipts  to-night  totalled  $28,652 — ten  thou- 
sand more  than  its  sister-city,  Washington ! 

It  was  a  thrilling  and  proud  moment  to  face 
suddenly  the  electric  sign  over  the  Academy  of 
Music  and  to  see  its  space  filled  so — 


To  realise  how  worthily  filled  in  this  particular 
instance ! 

Poor  old  sign,  that  has  held  so  many  names,  good, 
bad  and  indifferent !  Good  old  band  of  stars  who 
submerged  their  personalities  into  one  whole  repre- 
sented by  that  Red  Cross  announcing  our  appear- 

21 


22  "  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  " 

ance!  Where  are  the  moods  and  tenses  by  which 
a  star  is  supposed  to  be  exclusively  controlled? 
Have  they  disappeared  because  of  the  quality  of 
this  particular  lot?  Is  it  because  people  who  are 
big  enough  to  put  up  with  the  expense  and  discom- 
fort— particularly  the  discomfort — of  three  weeks 
of  one-night  stands,  are  big  even  in  the  little  things 
such  as  courtesy  and  consideration  for  others? 

We  are  all  so  determined  not  to  be  stars  that 
funny  things  have  happened.  After  the  first  act 
we  take  a  company  call — Harry  Warner,  Jimmie 
Powers,  Helen  Ware,  George  Arliss,  Beryl  Mercer 
and  I.  We  all  gathered  by  the  door  and — darn  it! 
— we  left  the  centre  of  the  stage  naked.  Poor  old 
centre!  It  seemed  to  shriek  out,  "I've  been  a  good 
friend  to  all  of  you — why  desert  me  in  front  of  a 
$28,000  house?"  On  the  fourth  curtain  I  could 
stand  its  tearful  voice  no  longer,  but  jumped  plumb 
into  the  middle.  And  I've  been  explaining  why 
ever  since! 

I  keep  wondering  what  Mrs.  Fiske  is  like.  At  a 
distance  I  adore  her  but  one  feels  one  must  go  care- 
fully with  her.  Some  friends  you  achieve,  and 
some  you  thrust  yourself  upon. 

Burr  Mcintosh  sold  the  autographed  programme 
for  $1,500. 

Baltimore  sho'  am  some  city! 

Voilal 


ah«.«*  .-./.jasciaMWuyiwaiH 


GEORGE   M.   COHAN 


Wednesday,  May  15tTi,  1918.    6:00  p.m. 

We  have  played  a  matinee  at  Wilmington  to 
$11,999.  There  was  no  auction  sale  of  seats  here, 
and  no  programme  was  sold  as  we  had  to  rush  to 
catch  the  train  in  time  to  play  in  Philadelphia  to- 
night. The  committee  at  Wilmington  gave  us  all 
red  roses  and  some  sweet  ladies  kissed  their  hands 
as  we  left  the  hotel.  The  only  unusual  happening 
at  Wilmington  was  that  a  man  gave  $7,000  to  the 
Red  Cross  on  condition  that  we  played  the  first 
scene  of  the  last  act,  which  we  had  intended  to 
eliminate  in  order  to  ring  up  on  time  in  Philadel- 
phia. But  in  view  of  an  additional  $7,000  to  the 
cause  we  are  working  for,  even  Philadelphia  will 
have  to  wait.  The  donor's  name  is  Mr.  Scott,  and 
I  think  he's  big  enough  to  star  with  us. 

Oh,  yes!  George  Cohan  refuses  to  dress  with 
Arliss !  He  says  Arliss  is  too  tough.*  He  doesn't 
mind  the  language,  but  he  can't  stand  the  yellow 
tobacco- juice!  So  I  understand  he's  to  be  paired 
off  with  O.  P.  Heggie,  the  man  of  whom  Mrs. 
Patrick  Campbell  said,  when  he  wouldn't  accept 
a  reduction  of  salary,  "You  have  the  eyes  of  the 
Virgin  Mary  and  the  soul  of  a  miser," — ^two  things 

*  The  joke  of  the  above  is  that  Mr.  Arliss  is  a  most  fastidious 
man — a  twentieth  century  Beau  Brummel,  only  nicer!    Oh  much! 

23 


24  "  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  " 

that  stay  with  the  owner,  unlike  yellow  tobacco- 
juice,  so  George  won't  mind. 
All  this  is  irreverent,  but  comic? 


HELEN    WARE 


Thursday,  May  16th,  1918. 
Philadelphians — $23,074  worth  of  them — 
waited  last  night  until  ten  o'clock  for  the  curtain 
to  rise  on  "Out  There"  and  most  of  them  stayed 
till  one  this  morning  to  see  the  finish.  We  ex- 
pected to  be  a  little  late,  but  one  of  the  motor 
trucks  carrying  our  scenery  broke  down,  and  it  took 
hours  to  fix  it.  The  Philadelphia  programme  sold 
for  $1,500,  the  same  as  at  Baltimore.  During  the 
two  hours'  wait  from  eight  till  ten  the  company, 
in  their  street  clothes,  entertained  the  waiting  audi- 
ence impromptu,  George  Cohan  singing  "Over 
There,"  Chauncey  Olcott  "Mother  Machree," 
Madame  Cisneros  "Come  Back  to  Erin."  Julia 
Arthur  recited  "The  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Repub- 
lic," Helen  Ware  "Carry  On,"  and  Jimmie  Powers 
held  the  audience — as  one  of  the  papers  said — in 
the  hollow  of  his  voice  with  a  home-made  poem 
which  went  something  like  this, — 

"Would  you  like  to  see  the  Bowery  changed  to 

Strasse  Germany? 
Would  you  like  to  stop  our  singing  'My  Country 

Tis  of  Thee'? 
Would  you  Hke  to  hear  Americans  singing  'Die 

Wacht  am  Rhein'? 
Would  you  like   the   Metropolitan   to  be  Mr. 

Wagner^s  shrine? 

25 


36  "THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE" 

No,  you  wouldn't!     No,  you  wouldn't! 

I'm  sure  you'd  rather  die. 

Keep  a-thinking  you  may  have  to 

If  you  don't  start  in  and  buy. 

"Would  you  like  a  sausage  for  a  chain,  for  they'll 

take  your  gold  away? 
Would  you  like  to  say  'Guten  Morgen'  instead 

of  old  'Good-day'.? 
Would  you  like  the  smell  of  sauerkraut  a-cook- 

ing  in  the  pot.? 
Would  you  like  to  *Hoch  der  Kaiser',  and  hock 

everything  you've  got.? 

No,  you  wouldn't!     No,  you  wouldn't! 
I'm  sure  you'd  rather  die. 
Keep  a-thinking  you  may  have  to 
If  you  don't  start  in  and  buy. 

**Would  you  like  to  'Hoch  der  Kaiser'  with  every 

drink  you  take.? 
Would  you  like  to  be  insulted  and  treated  like 

a  snake.? 
Would  you  like  to  have  for  breakfast  a  piece  of 

German  cheese.? 
Would  you  like  to  have  Limburger  wafted  to 

you  on  a  breeze.? 

No,  you  wouldn't!     No,  you  wouldn't! 
I'm  sure  you'd  rather  die. 
Keep  a-sniffing!     You  may  have  to 
If  you  don't  start  in  and  buy. 

"Would  you  like  to  see  your  baby  dying  on  its 
mother's  breast.? 
Would  you  like  to  see  some  flowers  on  your  sis- 
ter spelling  'Rest'  " .?  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

Nice,    impulsive,    small    children    actors    and 
actresses  are !    Frightfully  proud  and  intense  about 


CHAUNCEY    OLCOTT 


"  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  "  37 

their  work,  but  always  reserving  a  tremendous  ca- 
pacity for  play,  knowing  that  this  is  the  fluid  with 
which  to  store  one's  motor  for  a  long  drive  of  hard 
work. 

The  delay  kept  Mrs.  Fiske  from  appearing  until 
ten  minutes  to  one.  During  all  those  hours  she 
sat  patiently  waiting,  curiously  quiet  yet  most  vi- 
brantly alive,  nothing  moving  except  her  foot  which 
kept  up  an  incessant  tapping.  Isn't  it  interesting 
when  a  placid,  still  personality  sort  of  chugs  under- 
neath like  a  Pierce- Arrow  ?  Being  a  Ford  myself 
— all  noise  and  rattle — I  admire  tremendously  the 
other  thing.     We  both  have  our  places  in  the  world. 

The  "tired  business  man"  of  Philadelphia  must 
be  in  an  ungovernable  humour  this  morning.  Just 
think!  He  sat  for  five  hours  in  one  seat!  Gen- 
erally we  have  waited  for  the  audience,  and  the 
only  time  we  ever  kept  them  waiting,  we  wept  to 
think  that  they  should  be  so  abused. 

Good-bye,  Philadelphia!  Do  you  suppose  Wil- 
mington paid  us  that  $7,000  as  a  sort  of  saucy  joke 
on  you? 

P.S. — George  Cohan  has  nicknamed  Madame 
Eleanora  de  Cisneros.  She  is  now  known 
as  Madame  Scissors! 


Brooklyn,  Friday,  May  17th,  1918. 

The  business  everywhere  is  limited  only  by  the 
capacity  of  the  theatre,  the  enthusiasm  by  the  capac- 
ity of  the  individual. 

Brooklyn  brought  the  Red  Cross  $22,334,  includ- 
ing $1,450  for  the  programme.  Burr  Mcintosh 
ranged  the  gamut  of  emotion  and  tried  the  entire 
octave  of  his  voice  in  his  efforts  to  instil  pride,  or 
pity,  in  fact  he  didn't  care  what,  into  Brooklyn  so 
as  to  get  her  to  top  the  highest  price  previously  paid 
— $1,500.  But,  no.  Mrs.  Leibmann  (I  think  that 
is  the  buyer's  name)  was  sport  enough  up  to  four- 
teen hundred  and  fifty,  but  the  other  fifty  was 
just  one  of  those  things  that  keep  life  interesting — 
the  proverbial  last  straw  that  might  possibly  have 
broken  her  husband's  back. 

Woman-like,  she  may  have  felt  easier  telling  her 
husband  that  she  got  it  for  fourteen  fifty  while 
other  cities  had  to  pay  fifteen  hundred.  The  eter- 
nal bargain  interests  our  sex  just  as  much  as  that 
infernal  triangle.  Only  one  is  a  bargain.  The 
other  is  heavily  paid  for!  Ahem!  However, 
three  cheers  for  Mrs.  Leibmann! 

Just  imagine  Brooklyn  giving  us  that  splendid 
capacity ! 

At  the  end  of  the  first  act  we  were  presented  with 
American  Beauties  by  three  pretty  Brooklyn  young 

28 


«  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  "  39 

ladies.  They  came  on  the  stage  in  charming  eve- 
ning dresses.  Jimmie  Powers  thought  he  was  back 
in  musical  comedy,  rubbed  his  eyes,  forgot  he  had  a 
name  and  proper  birth  (I  suppose  that's  what  we 
mean  by  the  distinction,  "legitimate"  actor),  and 
looked  at  them  as  much  as  to  say,  "Why,  dearie, 
this  is  not  your  number."  I  obstructed  his  view 
as  much  as  possible,  but  he  hasn't  been  the  same 
man  since. 


New  York  City.    May  17  and  18, 1918, 

Friday  night,  $32,998! 

Mr.  Henry  P.  Davison,  the  General  Manager  of 
the  American  Red  Cross,  opened  the  evening  with 
a  speech — mostly  in  honour  of  our  beloved  stage 
and  its  people,  which  I  thought  a  sweet  and  gra- 
cious thing  to  do. 

"Familiarity  breeds  contempt."  Does  it  also 
breed  small  receipts?  The  house  was  filled  in  New 
York  (the  hatchery  for  stars)  but  the  prerniums 
paid  were  much  smaller  than  in  the  towns  where 
the  inhabitants  had  not  seen  so  much  of  us.  Of 
course,  the  play  has  never  been  seen  in  the  other 
towns.  A  run  of  six  months  in  New  York  at 
regular  prices  may  have  put  people  oif  the 
premiums. 

Saturday  Matinee,  $6,524. 

Saturday  Evening,  $17,939. 

The  total  receipts  for  our  first  week,  $160,666. 

As  a  manager  (now  advanced  in  rank  to  actor) 
said,  "that's  a  good  season's  receipts." 

The  Saturday  matinee  was  uneventful — as  most 
matinees  are — giving  one  the  maximum  of  fatigue 
for  the  minimum  of  response.  Enthusiasm  is  evi- 
dently a  night-blooming  cereus. 

Ah !  But  the  last  performance  was  an  event  in 
my  life!     I  sang  at  Caruso's  price — $500  an  aria. 

30 


MRS.    FISKE 


THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  SI 

Miss  Arthur  and  I  went  down  in  the  aisles  to  make 
collections  for  the  Red  Cross.  A  man  offered  $500 
to  the  Red  Cross  for  an  imitation  of  George  Cohan. 
As  you  know,  anybody  can  give  a  bad  imitation 
of  "The  Yankee  Doodle  Boy,"  and  I  did.  Then 
the  man  wanted  to  buy  an  imitation  of  Chauncey 
Olcott  at  the  same  price.  This  was  more  difficult, 
but,  feeling  that  the  only  lack  in  my  effort  would 
be  voice — and  perhaps  the  man  paying  for  it 
wouldn't  care  whether  it  was  good  or  bad — I  gave 
forth  "Inniskillen" !  Now  I'm  quite  shameless — 
I'd  sing  "Aida"  if  it  would  bring  money  to  the  Red 
Cross.  (I  know  it  would  bring  them  patients.) 
However,  there  proved  to  be  one  man  who  held  the 
same  opinion  as  I  do  about  my  singing,  and  he 
offered  $5,000  for  five  short  songs.  But  somebody 
back  stage  had  to  catch  a  train,  so  the  audience  was 
spared.     The  Red  Cross  was  the  only  loser! 

Later. 

My  heart  is  broken !  Some  one  said  my  cabaret 
stunt  was  not  dignified  I  So  here  is  where  I  speak 
my  mind. 

I  doubt  very  much  whether  the  men  who  are 
fighting  for  us  appear  dignified  as  they  fall  in  the 
mud,  shot  through,  having  made  of  themselves  a 
human  wall  between  the  Hun  and  us.  It's  the 
cause  they  think  of,  not  how  they  look. 

It  was  also  suggested  that  it  was  not  consistent 
with  the  dignified  future  I  hoped  to  make  for  my- 


32  "THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE" 

self  on  the  American  stage.  There  will  be  no 
future  for  anybody,  on  any  stage,  unless  we  forget 
"our  very  own  selfish  selves"  for  at  least  "the  dura- 
tion of  the  war." 

Dignity  should  be  elastic — so  much  at  such-and- 
such  a  function,  and  as  little  as  possible  at  another. 
A  minister  who  preaches  the  word  of  God  has  a 
dignity,  no  matter  how  poorly  he  may  speak,  be- 
cause of  his  subject.     So  I  feel  about  one's  country. 

Dignity!  It's  a  funny  word  to  look  at — all 
points  and  arrows,  like  a  porcupine's  quills,  and 
was  meant  to  be  used  in  the  same  manner,  as  a 
protection.  You  should  know  it's  there,  but  it 
should  not  be  ever  present.  That's  tiresome.  I 
will  sell  whatever  dignity  I  have  to  help  bind  up 
a  soldier's  wounds — and  trust  to  luck,  and  Hartley 
Manners,  for  my  future  on  the  stage. 

As  Shylock  said,  "What,  are  you  not  answered 
yet?" 

And,  with  Portia,  "Earthly  power  doth  then 
show  likest  God's  when  humanity  seasons  dignity/^ 

P.S.  For  the  sake  of  the  people  who  know  nothing 
and  care  less  about  the  theatre,  I  would  like  to  men- 
tion that  Hartley  and  I  are  joined  in  "holy  deadlock" 
and  as  a  wife  I  have  a  right  to  look  to  him  for  his  love, 
honour,  obedience  and  plays. 


DE   WOLF    HOPPER 


Providence.     Monday,  May  20th,  1918. 

Here,  for  the  first  time,  we  had  some  empty- 
seats  ! 

Good  old  Burr  Mcintosh  once  more  wept  and 
implored  them  not  to  disgrace  Providence  by  allow- 
ing us  to  play  here  to  less  than  in  Wilmington, 
urged  them  to  come  across  for  the  programme  and 
force  the  receipts  up  beyond  those  of  the  afore- 
mentioned town.  Somebody  here  must  have  hated 
Wilmington  with  a  Hun-like  fury.  The  bidding 
was  splendid,  and  the  autographed  programme 
finally  reahsed  $8,500. 

Imagine  it! 

This  increase  of  the  gross  receipts  was  more  than 
sufficient  to  save  the  honour  of  Providence.  And 
now  Boston  is  going  to  be  so  mad  when  it  hears 
what  its  little  cousin  paid  for  the  programme! 

Burr  Mcintosh  is  a  real  orator.  He  enters  a 
town,  conceives  a  mad  passion  for  it,  talks  to  its 
citizens  about  its  beauty,  its  intelligence,  etc.,  etc. 
But  woe  to  any  audience  that  won't  buy  that  pro- 
gramme! They  will  hear  things  about  their  city 
that  will  make  them  move  out  the  next  day.  A 
successful  speaker,  I  take  it,  is  one  who  can  argue 
both  sides  of  a  case  equally  well. 

Cohan  lost  his  dignity  last  night !  So  far  he  has 
been  most  legitimate,  but  a  local  joke  about  Fox 

33 


31  "  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  " 

Hill  crept  in.  He  stopped  the  play  absolutely 
after  his  exit — He  came  back  and  sang  "Over 
There."  This  is  a  purple  tour  for  those  who  can't 
sing! 


JULIA    ARTHUR 


Boston.     Tuesday,  May  21st,  1918, 

In  this  town — and  included  in  that  was  the  price 
cajoled  from  the  audience  for  the  autographed 
programme,  $12,800 — "Providence  stepped  in," 
according  to  quotation. 

At  every  second  sentence  Mcintosh  would  say, 
"But  Providence  bid  $8,500!"  The  Bostonians 
were  wildly  responsive  and  thrillingly  enthusi- 
astic. After  long  observation  I  venture  to  sug- 
gest that  the  only  people  who  know  how  to  burn 
to  their  fullest  and  fiercest  are  those  who  spend 
their  lives  hooverising  their  fuel.  That  is  why 
magnificent  lives  go  crashing,  burnt  to  a  crisp, 
when  once  they  take  fire.  A  succession  of  small 
fires  stirs  nobody.  A  tremendous  blaze  makes 
even  a  sodden  Nero  want  to  sing.  Boston,  like 
London,  surprised  me  with  its  unexpected  light- 
nings. 

"Out  There''  suits  the  time,  the  tour  and  the 
cause.  It  is  played  most  unexpectedly  uniformly, 
seeing  it  is  by  an  all-star  cast.  It  is  awfully  like 
sending  a  lot  of  high  officers  into  battle — each  one 
thinks  of  a  different  mode  of  attack. 

By  the  way,  the  manner  in  which  one  of  our 
managers  solved  the  difficulty  of  favoritism  was 
rather  sweet.  Just  as  everybody  has  one  favour- 
ite German  who  should  not  be  interned,  so  every 

35 


36  "THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE" 

manager  has  one  favourite  star  who  is  the  Saturn 
of  the  heavens  (in  the  manager's  mind) .  Well,  ISIr. 
Walton  Bradford  had  to  choose  (in  his  mind) 
which  of  the  stars  he  would  commandeer  a  taxi  for 
at  the  depot, — for  Mrs.  Fiske,  Miss  Julia  Arthur, 
Miss  Helen  Ware,  Miss  Beryl  Mercer,  Madame 
Cisneros  or  me.  The  Lord  helped  him!  Burr 
Mcintosh  has  been  incapacitated  by  an  accident 
to  his  foot  to  such  a  degree  that  he  has  to  use  a 
wheel-chair.  So  it  is  sweet  now  to  see  how 
**Braddy"  rushes  for  a  wheel-chair  for  Mcintosh, 
and  leaves  the  stars'  maids  to  scramble  for  taxis  for 
their  mistresses. 

One  ingenuous  lady  asked  me  whether  we  tossed 
up  for  the  choice  of  dressing-rooms! 

George  Cohan  says  he  is  going  to  write  a  book 
called  "My  Four  Years  in  the  Second  Act." 

Note:  This  act  lasts  an  hour  and  a  quarter  during 
which  time  George  M.  was  reclining  on  a  bed  I 

I 
To-night  I  gave  my  "swan  song" — somebody  of- 
fered $500  to  the  Red  Cross  for  an  imitation  of 
Chauncey  Olcott.  It  is  not  the  fear  of  any  loss  of 
dignity  that  stops  me,  but  dread  of  losing  Chaun- 
cey's  regard.  Methinks  he  looks  at  me  with  men- 
acing eye  ever  since. 

Why  are  people  afraid  of  others?  I  want  most 
frightfully  to  talk  to  Mrs.  Fiske,  but  one  rarely 
sees  her,  and  the  only  opening  speech  I  can  think 
of  is,  "Do  you  play  bridge?"  If  she  should  say 
"No,"  where  do  I  go  from  there? 


New  Haven.     Wednesday,  May  22nd,  1918, 

The  manager  of  the  Taf  t  Hotel  here  gave  us  the 
use  of  rooms  during  our  stay;  we  are  leaving 
after  the  performance.  I  understand  that  the 
managers  of  the  Iroquois  Hotel,  at  Buffalo,  and 
the  Blackstone  Hotel  and  the  Stratford  in  Chicago, 
have  arranged  to  do  the  same.  So  "Cast  your 
bread  upon  the  waters,  etc."  is  not  altogether  a 
myth. 

Here  we  took  for  the  Red  Cross  $31,091,  which 
is  remarkable  when  you  contrast  the  size  of  New 
Haven  and  its  receipts  with,  say,  for  instance  the 
size  of  New  York  and  the  receipts  of  its  first  per- 
formance, $32,998. 

The  autographed  programme  sold  for  $7,100,  a 
sum  that  would  have  been  very  greatly  increased 
but  that  the  auctioneer  could  not  be  allowed  the 
time  necessary  to  work  it  up,  as  we  had  to  catch 
the  11:30  train. 

Everywhere  we  realise  what  very  great  credit  is 
due  to  De  Wolf  Hopper  who  travels  ahead  of  us 
and  auctions  the  seats. 

Colonel  and  Mrs.  Ullman  gave  us  a  lovely  din- 
ner before  the  play,  and  as  we  were  seated  at  the 
enormous  table  Jimmie  Powdrs  looked  the  two 
miles  across  and  said,  "Would  you  pass  the  salt, 
Miss?" 

37 


Buffalo.     Thursday,  May  23rd,  1918. 

This  city,  I  am  certain,  will  prove  of  historic 
value,  for  here  George  Arliss  almost  missed  the 
train. 

I  had  some  privata  information,  which  I  mys- 
teriously imparted  to  him,  as  to  the  train  being 
held  for  us.  He,  with  characteristic  masculine 
credulity  (Ha!)  believed  me.  It  is  quite  true — my 
"inside  information"  almost  caused  Hartley  and 
me,  also,  to  miss  the  train.  But,  seeing  that  Mr. 
Tyler,  our  manager,  always  embraces  us  when  we 
catch  one,  this  little  attribute  of  charm  on  our  side 
would  never  make  Buffalo  known.  But  Disraeli- 
Paganini-George-Always-PunctiHous-Ai'liss  arriv- 
ing running  must  have  been  a  sight  for  the  gods. 

"The  proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  the  eating,"  and 
"The  test  of  a  man  is  in  his  haste,"  so,  even  with 
the  legend  burning  in  his  brain  that  "Time  and 
trains  wait  for  no  man,"  George-Always-Punctil- 
ious-Arliss  lagged  and  helped  a  poor,  tired  maid 
of  mine  named  Maria  Theresa  Chicco  to  carry  a 
bag.  "By  the  little  things  ye  shall  know  them," 
or,  equally  well,  "By  the  one-night  stands." 

This  event  was  of  such  international  importance 
I  forgot  to  tell  you  receipts  here  were  $38,073,  the 
autographed  programme  selling  for  $13,800. 

38 


H.   B.  WARNER 


Chicago.  Friday  and  Saturday, 
May  24.  and  25,  1918. 

My!  How  Chicago  has  changed!  I  hardly- 
recognised  it!  A  certain  prominent  citizen  hasn't 
had  a  drink  for  three  years.  Moderation  spelt 
nothing  to  him,  so  he  made  it  nothing.  Christian 
Science  has  many  unconscious  members.  The 
only  real  cures  I  have  heard  of  have  been  made  by 
one's  own  personal  physician,  the  Mind.  No 
wonder  people  crow  when  they  brag  of  being  Cap- 
tains of  their  souls!  "It  takes  a  bit  o'  doin'."  The 
mind  says,  "Stop  ruining  your  body,  or  /  shall 
have  to  leave  you."  The  body  thereupon  foregoes 
its  poison,  and  for  want  of  it  rocks  like  a  ship  in  a 
storm.  If  the  mind  can  hold  on  to  the  wheel,  one 
comes  tjhrough.  Without  this  divine  assistance, 
man-made  medicine  is  impotent. 

Ha!  This  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  all-star 
tour  and  is  not  of  importance  to  the  general  world, 
but  to  show  what  a  desperate  case  this  prominent 
citizen  was,  I  offer  this  proof.  He  thought  I  had 
changed  my  hair.  Any  man  who  sees  you  a 
brunette  when  intoxicated  and  an  amber  blonde 
when  sober,  is  an  exceptionally  versatile  and 
unique  imbiber  and  deserves  mention  among  us 
immortals. 

We  opened  to  $22,035,  a  jammed,  enthusiastic, 

39 


40  «*THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE" 

beautiful  lot  of  patriots.  The  programme  brought 
$15,750,  Mcintosh  calling  in  turn  upon  all  the 
cities  we  have  visited  on  the  tour  as  one  invokes  all 
the  saints  when  one  is  in  trouble.  "Please,  please, 
please  don't  let  Providence  beat  you!  $8,500!" 
Then,  "Are  you  going  to  be  downed  by  Boston 
with  $12,800?"  Then,  "Now  for  Buffalo,  that 
paid  $13,800  for  it."  And,  bless  him,  he  sold  it  to 
Chicago  for  $15,750. 

Afterwards  we  went  to  a  party  given  by  the 
CliiF  Dwellers,  then  on  to  one  given  by  the  man- 
ager of  the  Stratford  Hotel  for  Helen  Ware. 

On  Saturday,  at  the  matinee  we  took  $7,978,  the 
programme  fetching  $3,200.  And  in  the  evening 
we  had  a  $48,062  house  and  the  programme 
brought  in  $12,000,  making  the  total  receipts  for 
the  week  for  the  Red  Cross  $259,000. 

On  Saturday  night  the  Press  Club  gave  a  supper 
to  George  M.  Cohan,  and  Frank  Tinney  told  a 
funny  stor^^  It  was  not  quite  modest  and  I  don't 
know  how  it  will  look  in  script  but,  as  he  told  it, 
it  seemed  the  prattling  of  a  round-faced  babe. 
Here  it  is ! 

A  sailor  had  the  French  flag  tattooed  on  his 
left  arm,  the  British  flag  on  his  right  arm,  and  the 
American  flag  on  his  chest.  Another  sailor  said, 
"My!  How  patriotic  you  are  to  have  the  French 
flag  on  your  left  arm,  the  British  flag  on  your  right 
arm,  and  the  American  flag  on  your  chest!"  And 
he  said,  "Oh,  my!  That  ain't  nothin'!  I'm  sittin' 
on  the  Kaiser  and  Hindenburg." 

Hartley  made  a  speech  urging  Cohan  to  write 


GEORGE    MACFARLANE 


"THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE"  41 

the  great  American  play  of  the  future,  Madame 
Cisneros  urged  him  to  write  the  great  American 
opera  of  the  future,  and  Cohan  said  he  would  do 
those  two  little  things  that  night!  One  man  said 
to  me,  "Future?  Crackers!  What's  the  matter 
with  you?     Little  Georgie  has  his  future!" 

This  sort  of  admirer  is  in  Class  C  ( something  the 
matter  with  them,  apt  to  be  a  hindrance  to  the 
army  at  a  critical  moment).  Any  time  one  has 
no  future  it  is  time  to  ask  for  a  pension.  Even 
Bernhardt  (aged  72)  prepares  a  future  by  produc- 
ing a  poet  grand-daughter  to  keep  her  memory 
green  on  earth  when  she  is  vibrating  the  heavens 
with  her  extolling  of  the  Lord ! 

One  must  see  through  the  molasses  of  flattery 
and  buy  oneself  a  hair  shirt.  If  life  becomes  too 
slippery  one  slides  to  the  bottom.  To  slide  up- 
ward would  be  against  the  law  of  things.  One 
must  climb,  and  climbing  means  effort,  and  effort 
means  something  not  easy  to  you.  My  hair  shirt 
was  a  fling  at  Shakespeare.  I'm  going  to  try  the 
same  shirt  again,  but  wear  it  in  a  different  manner 
— inside  out!  Just  as  every  cloud  has  a  silver  lin- 
ing I  am  sure  every  hair  shirt  has  a  bald  spot. 

I'm  very  involved,  but  that's  my  sex,  and  writ- 
ing is  not  my  talent,  and  this  diary  will  prove  a 
hair  shirt  to  anybody  looking  for  literary  style. 

I  don't  progress  with  Mrs.  Fiske.  We  have 
such  fatiguing  journeys,  and  I  don't  like  to  in- 
trude. She  received  a  loud,  long  and  sincere  wel- 
come in  Chicago. 


St.  Louis.     Monday,  May  27th,  1918, 
We  travelled  all  day  Sunday  and  arrived  filthy 
with  coal-dust  and  exhausted  by  the  heat.     Part 
of  the  time  we  played  bridge. 

I  know  one  actress  who  interviewed  her  prospec- 
tive company  in  this  manner.  Do  you  play  bridge? 
Tennis?  Golf?  Are  you  companionable?  Then 
— if  they  were  proficient  in  these  things — her 
manager  considered  their  ability  as  actors.  This 
may  sound  unbusinesslike,  but  it  isn't.  After  a 
day  in  the  country  one  has  more  charm  and  vitality 
to  give  one's  audience  because  of  the  previous  hours 
spent  collecting  those  precious  things  where  they 
grow.  To  sway  anything  your  way,  you  must  be 
the  stronger.  An  actress  has  before  her  at  night 
hundreds  of  people,  of  diiFerent  natures  and 
imaginations,  and  in  different  walks  of  life.  If, 
she  is  fresh  and  alert  she  can  swing  them  all  into 
her  mood,  but  without  the  full  force  of  her  mag- 
netic strength,  half — sometimes  all — of  them  slip 
through  the  loophole  of  her  weariness  or  depres- 
sion, and  she  says,  "What  a  funny  lot  they  are  to- 
night!" 

There  is  no  existence  so  devoid  of  meaning  as 
"the  one-night  stands,"  none  so  fatal  to  progress 
as  any  kind  of  forced  and  hurried  travelling.  It 
is  the  instinct  of  self-protection  fully  developed 

42 


rz7 


BERYL   MERCER 


"THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE"  43 

and  understood  that  makes  an  actress  or  actor  want 
companions  who  realise  the  truth  of  something  that 
Flaubert  wrote,  "To  accomplish  anything  one 
should  think  like  a  god  and  Uve  like  a  farmer." 

Here  we  played  to  $32,282  and  the  autographed 
programme  brought  in  $18,100. 

It  was  hot.  The  doors  had  to  be  left  open,  so  it 
was  difficult  to  play,  the  dialogue  going  like  this, 
"I  am  'aunted"  (Toot-to-o-ot).  Farver  'ad  the 
call,  an'  'e  answered  it.  (Clang-clang!)  An'  I'm 
sure  'e's  'appier  'cause  'e  did.  (Brr-r-r-r,  bang. 
Brakes  on!)."  A  mass  of  fans  and  programmes 
moved  endlessly  back  and  forth,  right  and  left,  until 
one  seemed  to  be  rising  and  falling  on  a  paper  sea. 
Every  time  any  one  on  the  stage  moved  suddenly^ 
the  rest  of  the  company  seemed  in  danger  of 
drowning.  As  somebody  once  said  of  an  intense 
actor,  "His  skin  acted  beautifully."  Between  the 
heat,  the  noise,  and  the  incessant  waving,  St.  Louis 
seemed  a  sort  of  friendly  hell  where  patriots  were 
gathered  together. 

On  Sunday  night  the  Country  Club  gave  a 
supper  and  dance  for  the  company.  Everybody 
reported  a  splendid  evening.  I  couldn't  go,  which 
means  that  I  was  really  quite  done  up,  because  I 
am  the  original  *'Oh  yes!     I'd  love  a  party!" 

Mrs.  Fiske  never  goes  anywhere!  We  rarely 
see  her.  What  a  shame !  Doesn't  one  get  fright- 
fully lonesome?  People  who  know  her  say  she  is 
most  amusing,  and  adore  her.  I'm  sure  that  if 
she  hadn't  been  pushed  on  to  the  stage  at  the  age 


44  "  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  " 

of  three  she  would  have  been  a  nun.  "Seclusion" 
is  her  second  name.  I  suppose  she  fascinates  me 
because  I  can't  understand  it.  People  supply  me 
with  a  new  outlook.  Personalities  give  me  mate- 
rial for  my  work  on  the  stage.  My  own  kind  thrill 
me — ^make  me  laugh  sometimes,  hurt  me  at  others, 
but,  they  always  thrill  me!  Out  of  contact  I  ac- 
quire the  thousand  little  things  that  are  of  use  to 
me.  Some  natures,  perhaps,  are  so  rich  in  them- 
selves that  extra  feeding  would  result  in  a  filled- 
leech-like  lethargy. 

My !  That's  a  long  spout  about  things  that  have 
been  said  in  better  fashion  by  brilliant  people. 
It's  a  wonderful  gift,  the  gift  of  word-stringing, 
for  instance,  Masefield's  "Like  a  flaming  comet  with 
a  tail  of  fire." 

Now  for  the  train  to  Louisville,  the  city  of  beau- 
tiful women  and  soft  voices. 


JAMES    K.    HACKETT 


Louisville,  Kentucky. 
Tuesdaij,  3Iay  28th,  1918, 
Southern  hospitality  is  a  thing  I  had  heard 
about:  now  I  know  what  it  means.  This  is  the 
only  town  where  it  was  done  in  a  manner  consider- 
ing the  tiring  journeys,  the  heat,  and  the  hard  work 
at  night.  Mr.  A.  T.  Hert,  the  chairman  of  the 
local  Red  Cross  chapter,  provided  us  with  motors 
(to  be  our  own  for  the  day)  and  cards  to  the  races. 
We  had  supper  after  th©  play  at  the  Pendennis 
Club — through  the  courtesy  of  the  president,  Mr. 
Stone.  In  none  of  these  things  were  we  "chaper- 
oned" by  kind  strangers  to  whom  we  had  to  talk. 
Just  the  company;  we  could  ride  in  silence,  eat 
during  natural  conversation  (which  is  just  as  restful 
as  silence  and  possible  only  between  people  inter- 
ested in  the  same  things).  We  had  a  beautiful 
supper,  and  told  each  other  some  funny  stories. 
H.  B.  Warner  refused  to  tell  his,  until  we  all  took 
an  oath  that  we  loved  children.  Chauncey  Olcott 
left,  because  his  two  had  been  heard  before  and 
didn't  go  very  well.  Hartley  promised  Helen 
Ware  that  he  wouldn't  tell  a  certain  one  because 
she  wanted  to  tell  it,  and  then  Madame  Cisneros 
told  it  before  it  came  to  Helen's  turn.  After 
Young  Seymour  (the  son  of  the  famous  William 
Seymour),  who  is  with  us  as  stage  director,  had 

45 


46  "THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE" 

finished  a  very  naive  tale  JNIr.  Bradford,  our  man- 
ager, insisted  that  we  start  for  the  train.  So  Mr. 
Arliss  told  his  on  the(  way  to  the  station,  and 
Jimmie  Powers  says  we  were  all  afraid  to  let  the 
turn  come  round  to  him,  knowing  that  his  would 
be  the  funniest. 

George  Cohan  has  a  fine  system  for  losing 
money.  He  backed  No.  4  on  the  card  in  all  seven 
races.  But  some  one  must  have  done  a  lot  of 
underhand  work,  for  in  no  race  of  the  seven  that 
day  did  No.  4  win.  Even  a  horse  called  "Ameri- 
can Eagle"  failed  to  respond  to  George's  unadul- 
terated red-white-and-blue  vibrations. 

The  programme  incident  was  most  amusing. 
It  is  getting  very  difficult  for  Burr  JNIcIntosh,  the 
top  price,  $18,100,  resting  with  St.  Louis.  Here  it 
reached  only  $11,850.  It  was  a  very  long  time 
before  they  started,  and  then  they  went  along 
fairly  quickly,  but  principally  with  $50  bids,  which, 
of  course,  take  a  long  time  to  mount  up.  The  com- 
pany always  congregate  behind  the  curtain  when 
the  bidding  starts.  At  any  large  sum  it's  quite  a 
sight  to  see  them,  led  by  George  Arliss  (by  Gad!) 
beat  the  curtain  with  their  sticks.  We  can't  see, 
but  it's  fun  to  listen.  Here  a  sweet  voice,  a  very, 
very  clear,  sweet  voice,  piped  up,  "Fifty  dollahs!" 
Then  every  few  minutes  this  most  fascinating, 
southern  sweet-potato  voice  would  pipe  "Fifty 
moah!"  Every  man  behind  the  curtain  fell  in  love 
with  little  "Fifty  moah!"  We  all  had  different 
theories  about  her  looks  and  her  occupation.     I  de- 


"  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  "  47 

cided  she  must  be  a  seamstress,  a  little,  delicate, 
old-maid  seamstress  who  loved  the  stage,  was  pre- 
vented from  going  on  it  in  her  youth,  and  wanted 
to  possess  that  autographed  programme  as  one 
keeps  a  flower  or  a  lock  of  hair  as  a  rosemary  of 
the  past  that  never  happened.  When  the  "Fifty 
moahs"  reached  a  thousand  dollars,  of  course,  I  had 
to  discard  the  pathetic  seamstress  idea.  With  the 
help  of  five  stage-hands,  the  side  of  the  curtain  was 
pulled  back  and  I  saw  little  "Fifty  moah."  She 
stood  in  the  aisle  downstairs,  in  nurse's  costume,  a 
round,  pretty  thing  of  about  twenty  (from  where 
I  stood) ,  the  kind  of  girl  who  holds  up  a  bottle  of 
dental  wash,  offers  you  a  Coca-Cola,  peeps  through 
the  advertisement  for  a  new  kind  of  tire,  and 
always  looks  at  you  from  a  magazine  cover.  She 
has  three  lovely  names,  like  Mary  Millman  Byrd, 
or  Maryland  Boardman  Miller.  I'll  try  to  find 
out  exactly.  There  she  was,  the  "Sweet  Southern 
Rose"  whom  all  the  song- writers  try  to  picture. 
Little  "Fifty-moah"  got  the  programme,  and  I'll 
never  see  the  name  "Louisville,  Kentucky,"  with- 
out hearing  this  female  Oliver  Twist  with  that 
curious  drawl  on  the  word  "more"  (moah) .  What 
a  lovely  thing  a  charming  trick  of  speech  is!  A 
voice  is  the  catch  on  the  heart — ^more  than  the  face 
— and  here  were  both.     Lucky  Kentuckian! 


Cincinnati.     Wednesday,  May  29th,  1918. 

We  travelled  all  last  night  in  the  most  blasting 
heat.  Several  of  us  were  ourselves  in  need  of  Red 
Cross  services. 

Heat  and  noise  as  eternal  punishments  are  not 
possible.  We've  had  both  every  night  this  week. 
To  continue  it  for  ever  and  ever — no  God  could  be 
so  cruel.  There  must  be  some  gentler  chastise- 
ment, like  being  trampled  by  wild  horses,  or  hav- 
ing your  eyelashes  pulled  out.  Heat  kills  all  ambi- 
tion, except  to  find  the  North  Pole.  I  am  sure  it 
was  a  furnace-like  day  that  made  Peary,  Scott,  etc., 
set  out  for  the  Land  of  Ice. 

Noise!  Sound!  No  one  has  ever  properly  ap- 
preciated or  damned  them — soft  noises — crickets, 
brooks,  and  rustling  trees  (Oh,  my!  Where  are 
they  now?  Gone — like  the  pale  hands  beside  the 
Shalimar?)  make  you  visualise  a  gentle,  beatific 
God  with  outstretched  hands,  flowing  white  robes, 
and  a  great  tenderness  in  His  heart  for  even  the 
toughest  of  His  makings. 

Singing  sound  changes  Him  to  a  more  illuminat- 
ing electrical  God.  A  Greek  God,  who  can  run 
and  leap,  who  is  ever  young  and  alert,  who  can 
understand  the  passionate  mistakes  of  some  natures 
and  make  allowances  for  the  deliberate  ones  of 
others. 

48 


JAMES   T.    POWERS 


"  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  »  49 

The  noise  of  tramping  troops,  the  sound  of  play- 
ing bands,  the  cheering  of  patriots  seem  to  make 
Him  a  God  capable  of  terrible,  but  righteous,  ven- 
geance. Then  one  sees  Him  breathing  fire,  urg- 
ing masses  of  men  to  fight  for  their  faith  as  the 
early  Christians  did,  and  later  to  fight  against  any- 
thing that  besmirches  the  white  banner  of  Chris- 
tianity, such  as  slavery,  and  the  race  that  worship 
Him  only  as  a  companion-in-arms! 

But  the  shunting  of  trains,  the  clang  of  street- 
cars, the  scream  of  engines, — all  the  man-made 
noises  of  the  business  world,  transform  Him  (for 
me)  into  a  large,  evil  face  that  grins  and  waits  for 
the  ugly  rhythm  to  get  you. 

I  once  had  nervous  prostration,  and  when  Nature 
re-adjusted  my  mental  balance  she  forgot  the 
soundproof  centre.  I  am  afraid  of  the  thunder^ 
not  of  the  lightning! 

Cincinnati,  for  some  unknown  reason,  is  built  in 
a  large  hollow.  We  travelled  up  the  hills  through 
a  park  and  looked  down  on  a  city  protected  by  a 
large,  soft,  black  canopy  of  smoke.  However,  I 
was  so  ill  that  I  couldn't  have  enthused  over  a  new 
hat!  And  for  our  cause  Cincinnati  came  over  the 
top  beautifully  with  $48,803,  of  which  $16,150  was 
for  the  autogi-aphed  programme.  And  here  an- 
other fellow-country-lover,  Mr.  Hill,  the  manager 
of  the  Gibson  Hotel,  gave  us  proof  of  his  patriot- 
ism. The  Gibson  Hotel  would  not  allow  us  to  pay 
for  even  a  newspaper  or  a  postage  stamp.  Our 
money  was  not  acceptable.     Others,  in  the  towns 


50  "  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  " 

I  have  mentioned,  gave  us  rooms,  but  here  the  Red 
Cross  workers  of  the  stage  were  allowed  to  pay 
for  nothing.  So  you  see  how  elastic  human  nature 
is.  You  can  think  on  the  hills  even  if  you  live  in 
the  hollow  of  Cincinnati.  It  has  been  a  wonderful 
journey  for  the  soul.  The  dirt,  the  heat,  and  the 
noise,  nothing  has  penetrated  there  except  the 
glorious  consciousness  of  helping.  I  am  sorry  it 
is  ending,  and  I  say  again,  the  people  of  the  stage 
know  the  art  of  giving. 

Now,  on  to  Columbus!  Christopher!  What  a 
large  country  our  own  United  States  is!  As  an 
English  comedian  who  travelled  it  for  the  first  time 
said,  "Why  give  him  credit  for  discovering  Amer- 
ica?   How  could  he  miss  it?" 


ELEANORA   DE    CISNEROS 


Columbus.     Thursday,  May  30th,  1918, 

Here  was  a  most  earnest  proof  of  patriotism. 
A  man  had  a  half-dozen  taxicabs  waiting  at  the 
station  for  us  after  another  hot,  sticky  night  in  the 
obnoxious  bandboxes  they  name  so  prettily.  Ours 
was  called  "Belle  Center,"  and  only  the  first  letter 
need  be  changed  for  the  name  to  fit  as  tightly  as 
we  did.  He  (the  taxi  man)  slammed  the  door 
with  great  pride  and  called  to  the  driver  "No 
charge!"  He  explained  that  he  was  only  a  poor 
man  but  that  he  was  happy  to  do  this  bit  for  the 
Red  Cross,  and  had  been  waiting  there  since  seven 
o'clock — the  train  was  due  at  that  time,  but  was 
three  hours  late — to  see  it  through.  It  was  a  small 
thing,  perhaps,  but  it  was  tremendously  impressive. 

We  played  here  to  $21,225. 

The  heat  caused  a  retreat  in  the  "legitimate" 
ranks.  A  few  of  them  retreated  to  the  marshes  of 
farce.  At  the  end  of  Olcott's  song  an  orange 
started  to  roll  across  the  stage.  MacFarlane  at- 
tempted to  catch  it  with  a  helmet,  missed  by  an 
inch,  and  but  for  the  protection  of  a  stomach  would 
have  broken  his  nose.  Powers  was  responsible  for 
the  moving  orange,  the  heat  for  Powers. 

Burr  Mcintosh,  exhausted  with  pain,  fell  asleep 
and  for  the  first  time  missed  his  opportunity  of 
selling  the  autographed  programme. 

61 


69  "THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE" 

In  the  first  act  I  had  a  small  attack  of  hysterics. 
I  recovered  in  a  second  because  I  think  them  very 
funny.  You  cry,  not  because  you've  lost  any  one, 
or  because  you've  been  beaten  or  feel  ill,  but  just 
because  you  want  to  cry.  It's  so  durned  unreason- 
able. It  happens  to  me  through  tiredness  or  ex- 
treme hot  weather.  It  was  in  the  first  act,  a  scene 
where  real  tears  should  have  been  effective,  but  it 
only  bewildered  the  audience  and  stupefied  Mr. 
Arliss. 

After  the  play  some  nice,  kind  people  took  us  out 
to  the  Country  Club  for  supper.  The  lights  on  the 
porch  were  turned  out,  and  we  sat  under  the  moon. 
(That  is  always  so  obvious — you  can't  sit  in  it,  or 
on  it.)  We  ate  and  conversed  in  a  blessed,  still 
coolness  that  almost  tempted  me  to  cry  again.  I 
talked  to  an  awfully  jolly  man  who  told  me  his 
nickname  for  his  wife,  hers  for  him,  and  what  he 
called  his  baby  and  his  dog.  He  was  an  awfully 
nice  man,  and  they  were  an  understanding  lot  of 
people,  and  we  hated  coming  back  to  "Hell — ,"  I 
mean  "Belle  Center." 


Cleveland.    Friday,  May  31st,  1918. 

We  played  here  to  $24,167,  of  which  $10,550 
was  for  the  autographed  programme. 

In  advance  of  our  coming  the  following  notice 
had  been  sent  out  to  the  citizens : — 

Fifteen   famous   men   and  women    of  the  American 
stage   are   coming  to   entertain   you   at   the   Opera 

House  May  31st. 
Every  penny  of  proceeds  will  go  to  the  Cleveland 

Red  Cross. 
Every   member   of   this   distinguished   all-star   com- 
pany is  paying  his  or  her  railroad,  dining-car  and 

hotel   bills. 

All  that  we  have  to  do  is  to  buy  tickets. 

Contrary  to  what  is  being  done  in  the  other  sixteen 

cities  where  this  company  is  going,  Cleveland  will 

NOT    AUCTION    BOXES    AND    SEATS.* 

THERE  IS  NO  HOLD-UP 

Boxes  will  be  specially  priced. 
First  half  of  lower  floor  will  be  $10  a  seat. 

Second  half  will  be  $5  a  seat. 
Balcony  and  gallery,  $5,  $3,  $2  and  $1  a  seat. 
Here  is  the  corrected  list  of  stars  who  will  appear 
— fifteen   reasons   why   you   should  see   this   unsur- 
passed aggregation  at  war  prices : 

George  Arliss  Mdme.  Eleanora  De 

Julia  Arthur  Cisneros 

James  T.  Powers  H.  B.  Warner 

53 


64  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  " 

George  MacFarlane      Mrs.  Fiske 

Laurette  Taylor  Helen  Ware 

George  M.  Cohan  O.  P.  Heggie 

James  K.  Hackett         Burr  Mcintosh 

Beryl  Mercer  Chauncey  Olcott 

N.B. — Two  patron  tickets  are  to  be  exchanged 

for  one  ten  dollar  seat. 

I  would  like  to  shake  the  person  warmly  by  the 
throat  who  was  responsible  for  the  line, 

THERE  IS  NO  HOLD-UP 

I  wonder  if  Cleveland  knows  this.  A  friend  of 
mine  called  up  to  buy  a  box  and  was  told  there 
were  none  on  sale,  all  had  been  sold  at  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars.  She  offered  a  thousand  and, 
after  much  trouble  and  argument,  got  it!  I  sup- 
pose the  originator  of  that  "elegant"  phrase  con- 
sidered that  the  Red  Cross  was  being  held  up  by 
Mrs.  C for  a  thousand  dollars! 

After  the  blunder  of  this  short-sighted  worker 
for  the  cause  of  mercy  we  played  Cleveland  only 
because  we  had  the  three  weeks  to  do,  and  couldn't 
afford  to  miss  one  performance,  even  though  it  was 
to  the  mere  pittance,  comparatively,  of  $10,288 
(the  smallest  evening  receipts  of  the  tour,  outside 
of  Providence,  which  is  unto  Cleveland  as  David 
unto  Goliath,  only  in  this  case  it  was  the  Goliath 
that  had  ''the  jaw-bone  of  an  ass"). 

P.S. — Feeling  a  doubt  about  this,  I  have  looked 
it  up  and  find  it  was  Samson  who  used  the 
jaw-bone  of  an  ass.     David  had  only  a  pea- 


O.    p.    HEGGIE 


"  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  "  S5 

shooter.  So  we  will  change  it  to  "It  was 
the  Gk>liath  (of  a  town)  that  had  the  pea- 
shooter." 

Mark  Twain  could  have  played  with  this  idea  of 
a  pea-shooter  and  followed  it  up  until — under  his 
charmed  pen — it  blossomed  into  flower  as  a  thing 
of  fun  and  froHc  that  made  you  laugh  and  wonder 
at  the  humour  in  small  things.  Then,  with  the 
jaw-bone  as  a  foundation,  he  would  have  builded 
you  a  beautiful  jackass  that  swallowed  the  pea- 
blossoms  and  together  they  formed  an  alliance  with 
Samson  and  David,  and  ended  this  war  instanter. 

Being  only  me,  I  must  beg  that  you  let  me  off 
any  unnecessary  elaboration  because  in  my  new 
guise  as  authoress,  the  jackass  and  I  are  closely 
related,  and  like  should  spare  like.  As  for  the 
other  subject,  I  understand  that  when  you  have 
a  garden  you  make  three  plantings  at  different 
periods,  until  you  get  so  sick  of  "fresh  peas  from 
the  garden"  that  you  give  them  all  to  visitors. 

Well,  anyway,  it  wasn't  a  pea-shooter  David  had, 
it  was  a  sling-shot — so  fineto. 

However,  to  return!  Poor  De  Wolf  Hopper! 
That  he  should  travel  alone!  Alone,  without  the 
company  of  his  beloved  fellow-thespians,  in  solitude 
wend  his  way  to  a  cold  theatre  on  the  most  difficult 
of  missions  (that  of  coaxing  the  reluctant  dollar 
forth).  That,  added  to  the  big  man's  sorrows, 
should  be  the  prefix  "Hold-up."  That's  what  it 
meant!  "Hold-up"  Hopper  arrives,  and  behind 
him  his  "Forty  Thieves."     In  a  tactful  manner 


56  "  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  » 

Burr  Mcintosh  let  a  little  of  this  he  understood, 
and  Cleveland  (rememher  that  the  circular  was 
only  one  Clevelander's  mistake)  paid  $10,500  for 
the  autographed  programme.  As  for  response  to 
our  playing,  they  had  no  limit,  and  all  of  us,  after 
having  felt  a  little  offended,  left  the  town  under- 
standing that  "one  man  does  not  a  city  make." 

I  know  that  Cleveland  was  a  "War  Chest"  city, 
and  had  done  more  than  its  quota;  but  so  were 
Columbus  and  Philadelphia  "War  Chest"  cities 
and  they  let  us  "hold  them  up"  cheerfully,  so  why 
should  the  city  of  Cleveland  be  proud? 

Now  we  go  on  to  a  city  that  is  willing  to  pay  in 
advance  of  our  coming  premiums  of  over  $100,000. 
One  hundred  thousand  dollars,  in  addition  to  the. 
price  of  the  seats,  for  one  performance!!!  I  only 
pray  that  they  may  have  eight-cents-worth  of  cool 
weather. 


BURR   MCINTOSH 


Pittsburgh.     Saturday,  June  1st,  1918. 

An  example  of  "The  first  shall  be  last  and  the 
last  first."  The  first  city  of  dollars-and-cents 
patriotism  we  play  last,  and  the  last  from  which  we 
expected  top  returns  comes  out  first. 

Mr.  Moore,  who  married  the  beauteous  Lillian 
Russell,  took  some  of  us  for  a  ride  to  see  the  beau- 
ties of  Pittsburgh.  From  the  top  of  a  green  hill 
we  were  invited  to  look  down  at  the  smoky  town. 
Personally,  I  shut  my  eyes  and  thought  of  Lillian 
Russell.  Have  you  ever  seen  her  as  a  close-up? 
Oh,  Lady,  Lady!  Sea-green,  blue,  or  were  they 
grey  eyes?  Soft,  baby  blonde  hair!  A  mouth 
with  a  sort  of  uncurling  faculty!  A  sweet  voice! 
I  wish  God  had  let  himself  run  wild  like  that  when 
He  made  my  face. 

Outside  the  Moore  house  was  a  truck  decorated 
with  flags  of  the  navy.  On  it  a  sailor  playing  the 
piano,  another  blowing  a  cornet,  and  a  fat  one 
dancing  as  light  as  a  piece  of  thistledown.  Lots 
of  fat  men  are  light  on  their  feet,  but  it  ain't 
natural,  is  it?  If  they  are  heavy  they  should  be 
heaviest  where  they  touch  bottom  (on  their  feet). 

I  was  greeted  with  strains  of  "Peg  O'  My 
Heart,"  (the  International  Scourge,  Percy  Ham- 
mond called  it) — "Rip  Van  Winkle,"  Mary  Pick- 

57 


58  "  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  " 

ford,  Uneeda  Biscuits — things  that  gi-andchildren 
will  be  told  were  popular  in  grandma's  day. 

The  truck  and  the  sailors  were  waiting  for  Mrs. 
Wheelock,  the  only  woman  who  holds  a  commis- 
sion in  the  U.  S.  Navy.  She  came  out  in  a  trim 
blue  serge  skirt,  jacket,  and  sailor  hat,  with  the 
insignia  of  her  rank  on  her  sleeve.  She  is  like 
"  'Aunted  Annie."  She  can  get  recruits  even  in 
cities  where  "they  don'  know  there's  a  war  on." 
"She  puts  you  to  sleep,  an'  w'en  y'  waike  up  y're 
in  the  navy."  She  talks  and  they  sing.  And  they 
present  such  a  jolly  happy  picture  that  every  man 
thinks  that  that  is  what  fighting  means — a  truck, 
a  piano,  and  Sailor  Riley  singing  "Over  There." 

The  matinee  brought  in  $6,597  at  $5  prices,  the 
auction  having  been  held  for  the  evening  perform- 
ance only,  so  that  there  were  no  premiums  at  the 
matinee.  The  auction  of  the  autographed  pro- 
gramme was  also  reserved  till  the  evening  per- 
formance. 

It  was  so  warm  that  Mrs.  Fiske  found  sufficient 
excuse  to  push  her  desire  for  solitude  to  extreme 
limits.  We  searched  the  theatre  for  her,  and  at 
last  discovered  her  on  the  roof — dressing  on  the 
roof.  She  is  a  most  feminine,  darling  person,  and 
why  she  withdraws  her  gentle  self  from  us  is  a  Sam 
Lloyd  puzzle.  There  are  some  people  you  plead 
with  to  "get  thee  to  a  nunnery."  Thei/  never  go. 
As  Peter  said  when  the  manicurist  walked  out 
of  heaven  to  the  other  place  to  have  her  hair 


A    RED    CROSS    NURSE 


"  THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE  "  59 

curled, 

Heigho!     That's  the  way! 
The  peaches  go. 
Only  the  lemons  stay ! 

Good-bye,  Mrs.  Fiske!  I  know  now  how  Dante 
felt  never  knowing  Beatrice. 

David  Warfield  helped  the  great  auction.  Some 
auctioneer!  Over  $100,000  worth!  The  Pitts- 
burgh burghers  were  marvellous.  The  loosening 
of  their  purse-strings  did  not  mean  the  tightening 
of  their  souls.  They  poured  out  enthusiasm  to  us 
as  generously  as  they  had  poured  out  their  gold, 
and  when  they  went  over  the  top  for  the  pro- 
gramme with  $20,500,  twenty  thousand  five  hun- 
dred dollars  (the  record)  the  curtain  was  raised, 
and  we  of  the  stage  applauded  the  audience.  They 
applauded  us.  We  gave  three  cheers  for  them. 
They  gave  three  cheers  for  us,  and  we  were  as 
happy  as  two  people  in  love,  who  admire  each  other 
in  each  other  so  thoroughly  that  the  whole  world 
seems  heaven  and  the  two  of  them  the  only  perfect 
specimens  in  it. 

It  was  extraordinary  the  beautiful  spirit  of  hu- 
maneness that  joined  the  stage  and  the  public  that 
night.  In  a  translation  of  Bourget's  "The  Night 
Cometh,"  a  man  says  to  his  wife  as  they  face  each 
other  in  a  crisis,  "Now  that  we  are  so  'transparent,' 
tell  me  the  truth."  That  is  what  we  were,  "trans- 
parent."    And  the  condition  is  more  rare  than  you 


60  "THE  GREATEST  OF  THESE" 

may  think.  They  saw  us  glad  to  our  souls  that 
the  Red  Cross  had  benefited  so  beautifully  through 
us.  We  saw  them  a  band  of  people  with  love  of 
their  country  and  pride  of  their  city  shining 
through  their  conventional  white  shirts.    Bless  'em  I 


New  York  City.  Sunday,  June  2nd,  1918. 
Home!  Room  to  walk  about!  A  basin  in 
which  water  runs  truly  hot  and  cold!  A  bed  that 
stays  tranquil!  The  same  old  Hudson  to  look  out 
on!  Not  a  train  within  earshot!  And  with  an 
appreciation  that  passeth  all  understanding  of 
Rupert  Brooke's  poem, 

THE  GREAT  LOVER 

These  I  have  loved : 

White  plates  and  cups,  clean  gleaming, 
Ringed  with  blue  hnes ;  and  feathery,  faery  dust ; 
Wet  roofs,  beneath  the  lamp-light ;  the  strong  crust 
Of  friendly  bread ;  and  many-tasting  food ; 
Rainbows ;  and  the  blue  bitter  smoke  of  wood ; 
And  ardiant  raindrops  couching  in  cool  flowers ; 
And  flowers  themselves,  that  sway  through  sunny 

hours, 
Dreaming  of  moths  that  drink  them  under  the  moon ; 
Then,  the  cool  kindliness  of  sheets,  that  soon 
Smooth  away  trouble ;  and  the  rough  male  kiss 
Of  blankets ;  grainy  wood ;  live  hair  that  is 
Shining  and  free ;  blue-massing  clouds ;  the  keen 
iUnpassioned  beauty  of  a  great  machine; 
The  benison  of  hot  water  ;  furs  to  touch ; 

The  good  smell  of  old  clothes ;  and  other  such 

The  comfortable  smell  of  friendly  fingers, 

Hair's  fragrance,  and  the  musty  reek  that  lingers 

About  dead  leaves  and  last  year's  ferns.  .  .  . 

all  the  things  you  can't  do,  or  see,  or  touch,  or  smell 
as  you  rattle  through  the  country  on  steel  rails. 

61 


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